DanceFest is Go!
Festival stage explodes with innovation
DanceFest @ Festival Theatre. Tuesday 19 Jan, 2016
Tuesday night looks to be an early highlight in the dance aficionado’s year as as seventeen different youth dance groups get to perform on the Festival Theatre stage.
DanceFest is at the Festival Theatre on Tuesday 19 Jan 2016. It builds on the success of the three year long DanceQuest project, which gave Edinburgh pupils between P6 and S1 a gateway into dance performance and performing.
DanceFest. Photo: Aly Wight
The culmination of every year of DanceQuest was a large-scale performance from its participants on the stage of the Festival theatre.
Now, in DanceFest, some of the best young Scottish dancers from across the central belt get to show off their talents in disciplines ranging from classical ballet to street dance, Indian to contemporary.
Cerin Richardson, the Festival Theatre’s Head of Creativity and Diversity, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for Scotland’s young people to perform in Scotland’s premier dance venue and for us to provide a platform for their extraordinary dance talent.”
Who is taking part in DanceFest
Broughton High School and Royal High School, Edinburgh – both schools have been involved in DanceQuest over the last three years.
Unusual Suspects – a boys’ group (of high school age) who meet weekly at Dance Base (Unusual Suspects website).
Scottish Ballet Youth Collective 3 – Combining ballet and contemporary dance techniques with a range of performance and creative skills, SBYC3 is aimed at young people interested in a career in dance or who have a general passion for the performing arts (SBYC3 website).
Hothouse Groups – Three performance groups that have taken part in the Hothouse project run by Ydance and Scottish Ballet for dancers aged 14 to 21 with a passion to create their own choreography (Ydance website).
Midlothian Youth Dance group
Performing Art Studio Scotland – Dancers from the Edinburgh College dance course (PASS Dance facebook page).
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Students from the BA Modern Ballet programme (RCS course website).
Scottish Ballet’s associate programme – Allows young people the opportunity to appreciate the training being undertaken by professional dancers (SB associate programme website).
Dancers from the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance at Dundee and Angus College – the only place in Scotland offering full-time, three-year training in contemporary dance performance to professional level (The Space website).
Murray Grant Academy, Edinburgh – Dancers studying at the MGA Academy (MGA Academy website).
Ihayami Fusion, Traditional Indian Dance, Edinburgh – Dance Ihayami’s youth dance group that gives young dancers the opportunity to improve their Indian classical dance skills and explore ‘fusions’ with other art forms (Ihayami Fusion website).
Edinburgh University Contemporary Dance Society – Dancers from the University’s contemporary wing of its modern dance society (EUMDS website).
Barrowland Ballet Youth Company, Glasgow – Creatively daring and adventurous company for young people interested in contemporary dance or physical theatre (BBYC website).
Listing
DanceFest
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT
Tuesday 19 January 2016: 7pm.
All seats £5 from 0131 529 6000
Further details and ticket booking: www.edtheatres.com/dancefest
ENDS
